Comparative Research on Traditional Boat-Building Techniques around the Pacific Rim

Joint Research Projects

Based on the existing body of scientific studies of traditional boat building, sailing, and navigation techniques, this project takes into account the indigenous peoples’ movement of recent years and, adopting an evidentiary approach, asks how the canoe-building and navigation techniques reconstructed as part of the indigenous cultural revival are being transmitted and taught today around the Pacific Rim; it then seeks to situate the current revival of traditional boat-building in many parts of Japan within the international context provided by the indigenous peoples’ movement. It also addresses as a contemporary issue the impact of the “canoe renaissance” trend in Japan and the international community.

Concretely, along with comparative studies of the building of traditional vessels in the Pacific Rim, because of the highly symbolic nature of boats we will also consider their cultural significance. While focusing on boat building, the project will also examine the human relationship with the sea from a future-oriented perspective by considering such areas as ethnic nomenclature related to maritime culture (names of fishes, directions, etc.), fishing gear and techniques, and myths and beliefs. The contemporary significance of traditional vessels will also be considered, for example, by fieldwork to shed light on the trend of indigenous cultural revival as seen in the canoe boom that is taking place, through a process of mutual stimulation, in Oceania and along the North American coast.

A unique feature of this project is that it involves not only researchers but also, in the same capacity, film-makers with a particular interest in maritime subjects and actual boat-builders, and the research work will be completed in collaboration with them.

Name

Specialty

Affiliation

PL

GOTO Akira

Oceanic Anthropology

Nanzan University

DL

HIRAI Makoto

Human geography

Kanagawa University

PM

AKABA Masaharu

Folklore

PM

ISHIMURA Tomo

Archaeology

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

PM

ITAI Hidenobu

Material Culture

the Regional Studies Centre of Okinawa University

PM

ONISHI Hideyuki

Anthropology

Doshisha Women’s Colleage of Liberal Arts

PM

KAWADA Junzo

Anthropology

Kanagawa University

PM

KON Masaaki

Mingu studies

Kanagawa University

PM

FUKAZAWA Yoshiki

Japanese Archaeology

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

PM

MONDEN Osamu

Documentary TV and Video production

Studio UMI, Inc.

RC

SUZAWA Ikunori

Restoration of Kayak/Canoe of North America

I-sana Kayak

RC

Syaman Rapongan

Indigenous boat-builder and writer of Tao, Taiwan

RC

MIYAZAWA Kyoko

Documentary TV and Video production

Studio UMI, Inc.

PL

-Project leader

DL

-Deputy project leader

PM

-Project member

RC

-Research cooperator

[Second Term] Joint research projects(regular projects)
1. Research on the history of maritime areas and people